


Sound of your Heart

by katwriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Celebrity AU, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, M/M, Magnus is a famous singer and Alec doesn't know, Malec Fluff, Meet-Cute, but cute anyway, cliche I know, coffee shop AU, lots of fluff, multi-chaptered, seriously I am terrible at writing drama, so fluff it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-01-11 22:46:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18433661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katwriting/pseuds/katwriting
Summary: When Magnus Bane returns to his favorite coffee shop after weeks of being out of town, he doesn't expect that place to be more packed than usual. He also doesn't expect sharing a table with a stranger and actually having a good time. And most importantly, he doesn't expect that stranger to be surprisingly funny, interesting and kind. But if Magnus learned one thing over the years, it's that life doesn't exactly ask for your opinion.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to my first attempt at a multi-chaptered fic!  
> This story is based on an idea a dear friend of mine had a while ago and then blackmailed me into writing it. Her original idea went somewhere along the lines of this (I quote):
> 
>    
>  _"like they meet at a coffee shop like magnus is 'undercover' and alec sits beside him, looks at him and shrugs like sorry there's no other place i can sit ya know. but he's like interesting as hell and super smart and magnus enjoys the talk a lot, finally someone who talks to HIM and not to a celebrity. they sit together, talk, and it happens again, and again, and again and magnus knows he's screwed because that guy is everything he hoped for."_
> 
> I ended up changing that idea a little, but the basics are still all there. This first chapter has been collecting dust on my dropbox for a few months now, and now that I finally know where I want the rest of this story to go (kinda), I figured I might as well post it. Little disclaimer before you start reading: This is not only my first multichaptered fic, but also my first AU, so bear with me, haha. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

“Thank you, New York City! You guys were amazing, goodnight!”

Turning his back to the roaring crowd, Magnus walked off the stage, pulling out his earpiece as he walked down the steps. Someone handed him a bottle of water, which he gulped down in a matter of seconds before wiping a towel over his sweat drenched face. 

Another show done. The first of two at Madison Square Garden, both sold out. And the second-to-last one before his well-deserved break. As Magnus walked through the backstage hallways back to his wardrobe, past posters that of upcoming concerts at this venue and several ones that announced his own two New York shows, he shook his head and couldn’t suppress a smile. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe how fast things had progressed ever since that fateful day about two years ago. How his career had basically sky-rocketed from working as a barista at a café and singing at weddings or company holiday parties to selling out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row.

The two reasons for that unreal twist in his life were already waiting in his dressing room when he got back. Magnus barely had the chance to drop his towel into the hamper in the corner when he was already enveloped in a warm, familiar hug and a kiss was dropped on his cheek, despite his sweaty, slightly disheveled state.

“Magnus Bane, rock star. Look at you,” Catarina said when she let go of him, still holding him at arm’s length and beaming. “Your mother would be so proud.”

Magnus smiled at her and tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. Instead, he looked at the second person that had been waiting in the dressing room, who was just getting up from the chair he’d made himself comfortable in. “And what’s your verdict, Ragnor?” 

“The show was sold out, the crowd adored you as usual and I’m pretty sure the press will as well,” Ragnor replied, his British accent as heavy as ever. He shrugged and slipped his phone into his back pocket. “I suppose you did alright.”

Magnus grinned and then only too happily accepted a hug from Ragnor as well. As disinterested the reply may have sounded, it was hard to ignore the pride in Ragnor's eyes as he looked at Magnus, trying his best to remain as unfazed as possible.

Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss were a married couple of almost ten years and had been ruling the New York music business for just as long. Their record company, _Downworld Records,_ had the most popular artists of the city signed; every time Magnus attempted to count the Grammies, Oscars and Golden Globes those artists had won in total, he ended up with a headache.

Magnus would have never dreamed of getting to know them, let alone signing for their label. But ever since he had, things in his life had taken a U-Turn in the best possible way. With the help of those two heavyweights in the music business he had soon turned from flamboyant, outgoing barista-turned-singer to record-breaking superstar and taken the music world by storm. Magnus couldn't possibly more grateful for their help and support over the years.   

With a sigh, Magnus dropped on the couch that Ragnor had just stood up from, grabbing another bottle of water. “So, now that we have the business talk covered, let’s get to the essential stuff,” he said, then took another sip of water. “How’s Chairman?”

Apart from being the most amazing managers that Magnus could have ever dreamed of, Ragnor and Catarina also came with another pretty useful feature: Whenever Magnus went abroad, they took care of his one and only child, a tabby cat called Chairman Meow. When Magnus went on tour or had promo appointments left and right, he left Chairman with the two of them, knowing that he would get his darling kitty back happy and well (and likely a little more overweight than usual).

When he’d taken Chairman to his usual check-up after his world tour last year, the vet hat told him to feed Chairman less, which Magnus had just internally scoffed at. No pet of his would ever be overweight, Chairman was just a little…small for his weight, but fabulously so.

“Oh, he’s great,” Catarina retorted. “Last week when I wasn’t looking, he ate half of the tuna that I wanted to make for dinner.”  
“- and threw up all over our living room carpet half an hour later,” Ragnor threw in.

Magnus snorted. “Sounds like my son.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes, but smirked. “Damn right he is. That cat is just as extra as you are.” 

Magnus just shrugged, getting up again and heading towards the showers. “What can I say, I raised him well.”

+++

Two days later, after sleeping for 12 hours straight and spending an hour in the bathroom to make sure that he didn’t totally like a zombie, Magnus set foot in his favorite place in the world besides the balcony in Catarina’s apartment: _Pandemonium,_ the café he’d worked at before his music career had taken off. The tiny café was wedged in between a Chinese restaurant and a thrift store and there were maybe twenty tables but still, Magnus loved going there. He’d spent many hours there – working, writing songs, trying to make decisions, or simply taking a break from real life. Besides, the place sold the best coffee in Brooklyn, if not even entire New York. And since it was so tiny and kind of an insider tip, he didn’t risk running into fans, reporters or other people who could recognize him there.

Magnus hadn’t been to _Pandemonium_ for a few months now as he had been on tour, but as soon as he stepped through the narrow door and into the cozy atmosphere, he felt himself relax. The off-white brick walls, the many different chairs and couches, none like the other, the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans and the music playing in the background never failed to make him feel like home.

What did, however, very much disturb that feeling of coming home was his first look around the room. More importantly, the realization that the entire place was packed with people. There were young parents trying their best to keep their kids from spilling their coffee, business people typing away on their laptops, their drinks all but forgotten – and then what seemed like a hoard of college kids, taking up the rest of the room.  

Magnus sighed. As much as he loved this place for its cozy atmosphere, the limited number of tables and seats did pose as a problem whenever he came here on a particularly busy day.

Nevertheless, he headed for the counter and ordered his coffee to go, already halfway expecting he would have to drink it on the go somewhere. Or alternatively in his own living room under the skeptical gaze that the Chairman seemed to reserve for whenever Magnus went out and didn’t come back with food or at least a treat for his cat. 

Thankfully, at least the line at the counter wasn’t all that long so it didn’t take much time for the baristas to make his drink. Paper cup in hand, Magnus turned away from the cash desk, stuffed his wallet back into the inside pocket of his jacket and then scanned the room one more time, hoping against hope that the few minutes he had spent waiting for his coffee would have been enough for an empty table to appear somewhere – or at least one of the several college kids to realize that the Wi-Fi in this place was crappy for a reason and leave. And indeed, just as he scanned the room one last time, a couple who had been sitting at a tiny table in the far corner across the room rose from their seats, took their empty cups and turned to leave.

Bingo.

With quick, resolute steps Magnus navigated his way through the maze of furniture, laptop chargers, messenger bags and brief cases on the floor towards the now empty table and managed to snatch a seat, effectively cutting off two women’s way who had been walking towards the same table. With an (entirely fake) apologetic smile he sat down on one of the chairs and placed his cup on the table, then grabbed the magazine he had been carrying with him and tried to blend out the noise around him.

It worked surprisingly well for a while, despite the buzzing noise around him. He was halfway through a quite interesting piece about an up and coming local fashion designer, when a voice dragged his attention away and back to the real world.

“Excuse me?”

Suppressing a defeated sigh, Magnus put his magazine aside and looked up, already expecting to be met with the expectant and excited face of one of someone who had recognized him and was about to ask for a photo or an autograph. Instead, he looked into hazel eyes, hidden behind thinly framed glasses. They belonged to a guy that seemed to be in his twenties, maybe a few years younger than Magnus. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt underneath a well-worn leather jacket and had a dark brown messenger back slung across his shoulder.

“Can I sit here?” the stranger said, looking around as if he was checking if an empty seat had appeared somewhere, but then shrugged.

 "Uh…sure,” Magnus replied, a little taken aback. He uncrossed his legs so the stranger would have some space and took his magazine off the table, making room for his new seat neighbor’s coffee.

The stranger took a seat and placed his mug on the tiny table between them. “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t normally do this. But this was literally the only free seat so…"

He shrugged, as if it the entire issue explained itself, and put his messenger bag down on the floor.

“It’s no problem. Actually, I haven't been here in a while. When did this place become so crowded? This used to be an insider tip," Magnus pondered and let his gaze roam through the room once more. Now that the guy sitting across from him had taken up the last empty seat, there was literally no space left.

Alec followed his gaze, then shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. I come here every few weeks when I'm in the neighborhood, and I didn't notice anything changing. I guess at some point some of those hipster college kids must have discovered the place and made it their most recent Instagram-worthy coffee place or something."

Magnus huffed out a laugh. From the looks of it, those hipster college kids must have told a bunch of their friends too. “Must have been something like that. Last time I was here, there was maybe one seat taken, not just one empty."

“I know, right?", Alec huffed. "I mean, I’m sure they’re all great kids, but the point of me coming to this particular place was so I can enjoy my lunch break in peace. Not in the company of seventeen thousand undergrads,” the stranger grumbled, packing his laptop back into his bag and pulling out a notebook instead.

This time, Magnus genuinely laughed. “I’ll drink to that.”  He picked up his cup and jokingly raised it in his neighbor's direction. He took a sip and then placed the cup on the table again. “I’m Magnus, by the way,” he added, holding out his hand a little awkwardly as the stranger was currently focused on a folder he had taken out of his bag.   

Clearly startled, the guy looked up from his notes. “Huh? Oh…yeah, hi. I’m Alec,” he said, quickly taking Magnus’ hand and shaking it, almost knocking over his coffee in the process.

Magnus smirked. “Nice to meet you, Alec.”

He was just about to ask Alec what job he was working that his lunch break had led him to a tiny coffee place in Brooklyn, when a woman who had been sitting a few tables over got up and left. Alec picked up on that, watched her leave and then turned back towards Magnus, frowning.

"I should probably…you know," Alec said, gesturing towards the now unoccupied table across the room.

“Oh, don’t bother. I could use some company.”

A surprised smirk ran over Alec's features. "Okay."

Over the course of the next half hour or so, Magnus learned that breaking with his habits from time to time wasn't that bad of an idea. Alec turned out to be quite decent company. He was more on the introverted side, a lot more reserved than Magnus, that much Magnus could tell. But when he did say something, it was either funny, smart beyond his ears or sarcastic to a T. From crowded coffee shops and the general unpleasantness of undergrad students their conversation soon moved on to more personal topics. Magnus learned that Alec worked in his parents’ publishing company and was being groomed to take over as CEO one day, which he described as rewarding but also quite challenging from time to time. Magnus, in return, told him some of the stories he always told people when they asked him to tell them a little about himself – how he’d always been fascinated by music, how _Queen_ had been his favorite band when he was a kid and Freddie Mercury still was one of his biggest idols, whether it came to music or life in general.  

Lucky for Magnus, their conversation always shifted to a different topic before they could get to what he did for a living. That was, until Alec straightforward asked.

“You said you like music a lot. Do you work in music as well?”

Internally, Magnus let out a bunch of curses, most of which Catarina would have murdered him for in cold blood if he ever used them in public. Externally, he resolved to something a little less scandal-inducing. Smirking to cover up the shock on his face, he took a sip from his coffee which was barely more than lukewarm at that point but perfectly served as a measure to buy him some time. Time that he used to think and come up with a perfectly fine explanation.

“I do, actually,” he said, “I work for a record label here in New York _._ It's called Downworld Records. _"_

Technically, that wasn’t even a lie – he _did_ have a contract with Cat and Ragnor's label after all. Besides, not telling strangers everything about himself right away was not lying, right? It was just being responsible, thank you very much. However, considering Alec’s reaction, Magnus might as well have told him the whole truth straight away.

Alec nodded, but other than that seemed pretty unfazed by Magnus’ reply. “Never heard of it. But I don’t really listen to a lot of music and at work we focus on books, so I guess that’s no surprise.”

Magnus blinked. “You don’t?”

Alec shook his head and grabbed his own mug. “Not really. I mean, I do like instrumental pieces or some classic rock if the mood strikes. But other than that, I guess I prefer books to records.”

Magnus smirked and relaxed back into his seat. “Instrumental stuff and classic rock, huh? Well aren’t you something else, Alec.”

Their conversation then shifted to less potentially cover-blowing topics for Magnus. They kept on talking for another while, until Magnus excused himself to the bathroom. When he returned, ready to hear more about that hilarious story of Alec's siblings, he startled, then did a double take just to be sure he hadn't walked to the wrong table. But he hadn't – Alec was no longer there.  Alec's jacket and bag were gone and their table abandoned, save for a slip of paper tucked under the half-finished cappuccino Magnus had gotten only a few minutes ago. When Magnus picked up the little note, he found just a few words scribbled onto it in a barely readable handwriting.

_Emergency call, had to run. Was good chatting with you, I really enjoyed having some company. A._

Magnus turned the sheet around, feeling a little disappointed when he found it empty. He sighed. “Me too, Alec. What a shame that you didn’t leave me your number.”

Smirking, he put the sheet into his bag, then picked up his stuff and headed towards the exit. The little break at the café had been undoubtedly fun, but now he had a cat to get home to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their chance encounter at the coffee shop, Alec and Magnus meet again. This time, they linger. Or at least they try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we meet again! 
> 
> First of all, thank you all so much for the many comment, retweets, likes, kudos and generally for all the love for chapter 1. I really didn't expect this many positive responses and I'm so glad you liked the first chapter. All those positive reactions mean the world to me and I guess it's because of those that this chapter turned out WAY longer than I had originally planned. I hope you guys will like it!
> 
> On that note, someone on Twitter asked if I had a hashtag for this fic. I didn't, since I really didn't expect you guys would like this fic so much, but I have come up with one in the meantime. So if anyone wants to tweet along or leave me their opinion on twitter, feel free to use **#SOYHfic**.
> 
> Now without further ado, enjoy reading the second chapter. After we got a glimpse at Magnus' life in chapter one, this one will focus a little more on Alec's backstory. I hope you'll like it!

The door to the office fell shut heavily behind Alec as he strode into the room, brows furrowed and lips pulled in a thin line. Saying he was _beyond_ pissed that he had been dragged away from the coffee shop after meeting the most gorgeous stranger he had ever seen, would be the understatement of the century.  

"I swear to God, Izzy, if this isn't an absolute emergency, I'll –"

Across the room, his sister Isabelle looked up from the thick folder she had been going over, completely unfazed. "Chill, big brother," she said, pushing her chair back and getting up from the table.

"Besides," she said with a wink when she reached him, "this _is_ an emergency." She led Alec over to the small coffee table in the corner of her spacious office and pointed towards two flower bouquets resting in vases on the glass surface. "White or light pink roses?"

Alec glared at her. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Now, are you going to help me decide which flowers to put in my wedding bouquet or not? Because the flower guy wants a decision by this afternoon and we're not getting any younger here, Alec."

Alec rolled his eyes in exasperation, but eventually obliged. "Both. Mixing them up a little will look great, I think." He looked at the flowers again and sighed. "Why do I have to do this again?"

"Because," Izzy said as she stalked back to her desk, stiletto heels clicking on dark tiles, "Clary is busy picking out Simon's tux with him. So you, brother dearest, get to be my maid of honor for the day."

Alec winced. "What about Jace?"

Isabelle just leveled him with an unimpressed glare over the rim of her reading glasses. "Are _you_ serious?"

"Fine," Alec surrendered, a smirk pulling at his lips at the thought of their kind, but not exactly flower-savvy brother picking out Isabelle's wedding bouquet. "It may not be the very best idea."

"I think _apocalyptic_ is the word you are looking for here."

Alec chuckled. "Alright, you win. Is there anything else you need me to do or can I go back to enjoying my day off before mom finds out I'm here and starts pestering me about the paperwork I'm not going to do, even if she reminds me a hundred more times about it."

A low _ping_ from Isabelle's computer, announcing a new email, made them both flinch. Sighing, Izzy looked at her screen and then back at Alec, regret in her gaze. "Looks like she just found out. She wants us both in her office, _pronto_."

With a sigh that sounded like the weight of the world had just been put onto his shoulders, Alec turned towards the door and walked out, Izzy on his heels. If there was one thing that everyone in this company agreed on, it was that you better not let Maryse Lightwood wait.

***

The decision to start working in his mother's publishing company had been a no-brainer for Alec. _Lightwood Publishing_ had always been a family business. Alec had grown up watching his parents run the firm like their own personal empire. He knew most of the people who worked there, was on first name basis with the essential personnel. He had been raised knowing he would run that company one day if he wanted.

Things had shifted after his parents' divorce, though. _Lightwood Publishing_ had belonged to both Alec's parents equally, but it had always been Maryse who had run things. After the divorce she had taken over as sole owner. Robert had moved to Los Angeles, taking up a lucrative offer of an old college friend to join the board of a new company. Most of the board members had left with Robert, either joining Robert in his new company or taking up competitor's offers, leaving Maryse to put together an entirely new management team. That had opened the window for Alec to rise from his previous job as an editor with a bunch of administrative tasks to a more strategic position. He was now head of fictional publishing and took care of all projects that fell into that area. He also took care of a lot more managerial tasks than before, with the eventual goal to follow his mother's footsteps and take over the company one day.

Two years had passed since then, two years that Alec and Maryse had used to completely rebrand the company. They had butted heads more often than Alec could count, which had mostly been due to Maryse still clinging to her and Robert's old ways of running things, whereas Alec had been aiming for a slightly more modern approach. It had taken many more or less constructive discussions (and a bunch of very non-constructive arguments) to eventually figure out where they wanted to take the company in the future. In the beginning, every new author Alec wanted to sign or any new genre he wanted to implement in the company's lineup had been a struggle. It had taken them a while to figure things out, but now that they had, _Lightwood Publishing_ was doing better than ever.

With Alec and Maryse finally working well together and Isabelle being a force to be reckoned with in terms of marketing and public relations, the company had turned from a successful and respected, yet antiquated publisher of classics and political biographies to a recognized player on a much broader market, its program now including a broader variety of genres and targeted at a more diverse audience. With the help of Isabelle and her talented team in PR and marketing they had been able to make the rebranding process go over relatively seamless, as far as the public was concerned. There had been some hiccups along the way, but judging from the most recent figures, people liked what they did. 

The rebranding process had been lengthy and arduous, but at the end of the day, Alec was still very satisfied with what they had created. Plus, it had helped him to a job with tasks and responsibilities he enjoyed.

Well, most of them.

What he certainly didn't enjoy was that despite him having risen to management level, Maryse could still send him to any and all appointments she didn't have time to attend herself. That list included a few very interesting types of appointments, but mostly they were the kind of trips that required a commute halfway across the city (which was of course a total coincidence).

One of those meetings was the reason why about two weeks after running into Magnus at the coffee shop, Alec ended up walking through the streets of Brooklyn once again, fuming with anger about how useless the entire appointment had been. He'd thought most of their business partners had realized by now that Robert Lightwood wasn't coming back and Alec was now their first contact for anything fiction. But apparently news hadn't spread yet to that particular illustrator's headquarters. Despite him sending them the details a few days prior, they had not even looked at his plans. And after they had asked for the fourth time in an hour when they were going to be able to speak to _management_ , Alec had politely, yet distinctly ended the meeting (and mentally crossed them off his list of potential artists for the upcoming young adult series he needed a cover illustrator for).                                                                                            

Alec had come across people like that a lot back when he had first been promoted. Most of the company's business partners had been fine with the change in leadership and they had continued a reliable business partnership with them. But every now and then there was that one company so used to making deals with either his father or his mother that they just wouldn't accept or respect the fact that the younger generation slowly taking over.

Meetings like that frustrated Alec more than any other part of his job, sometimes so much that they left him in a foul mood for the rest of the day. 

However, over time Alec had found a way to cope with that anger and prevent it from ruining his day: Plugging in his headphones and going for a walk whenever he had the time. Given how stupid the people at the meeting had been, it seemed like just the right way to clear his head before returning his office.

He had been strolling through Brooklyn for about ten minutes and was contemplating whether to grab lunch now or rather hope for a good day at the cafeteria back at the office when his surroundings started to get familiar. Alec realized that he was just a few minutes away from Pandemonium _,_ the coffee shop he'd met Magnus at. Checking his watch, he realized that he still had some time until his next appointment, then without much thought crossed the street and headed towards the coffee place.  

Alec's go-to remedy for anger over ignorant business partners may be some music and a walk, but a large latte to drown his sorrows in turned out to be just as fine. Especially since this time around, Pandemonium wasn't nearly as packed as the previous time and Alec could easily find a seat.

On his way to a table in the far corner of the room he walked past the table he'd sat at the last time he had been there. He didn’t feel a tiny bit of melancholy when he walked past the occupied table, not at all. And it absolutely didn't get worse when he, once he had sat down at his table, surveyed the room to see if maybe, against all odds –

Alec snorted at his own pathetic behavior. He had met Magnus _once_. They had just sat together because there had been no other space to sit left. They'd had a good chat, so what? People did that all the time.

_Yeah but people don't think about that chat two weeks later, you idiot,_ he internally scolded himself. Sighing, he grabbed his messenger bag and pulled out one of the manuscripts one of his editors had forwarded to him for consideration. Might as well get some work done.

He had made it through about twenty pages of a really promising story about a young policewoman working her ranks through NYPD while at the same time uncovering a massive legal scandal when next to him, someone cleared his throat. 

"Excuse me, can I sit here?"

Startled, Alec looked up – right into a pair of dark Ray Bans. It took Alec a few seconds - and the owner of those dark Ray Bans pushing them down and looking at him over the edge of the tinted glass - to put the pieces together. But when he did, he smiled in surprise. 

"Magnus! Hi!"

Magnus smiled back. "Hey. I just saw you sitting over here all by yourself and thought I had to say hello." He then paused, a hint of doubt crossing his features. "Is this weird? I can totally sit somewhere else if it is. It's not like there's lots of people here this time around."

Alec's brain had mostly clocked out to focus on the hint of Alec's eyes visible behind his sunglasses so he wouldn't stare at Magnus' ridiculously tight jeans or the gorgeous leather jacket over a navy V-neck sweater. Thankfully, it kicked back into action at the slightly nervous tone in Magnus' voice and prevented him from any potential embarrassments.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said hurriedly. "I didn't mind your company last time and I don't mind today. Have a seat!"

"Thanks", Magnus said, sitting down across from Alec and crossing his legs. He placed his mug on the table and smirked as he saw Alec's mostly empty latte. "So the coffee they sell here managed to match your high standards after all."  

Alec chuckled. "I have been a couple times before last time, thank you very much. But yeah, the place grew on me a little. 

"As it should. I don't call this place my favorite coffee shop for no reason," Magnus quipped. He took a sip of his coffee, then set his mug down and looked back at Alec. "So. How have you been?"

Alec sighed, thinking of the meeting that morning. The short walk from his meeting to the coffee place had helped, but there was still plenty of unresolved frustration growling in his stomach. "Besides my job kicking my ass recently and my sister's wedding plans stealing my last nerve whenever my job doesn't? Fantastic. You?"

Magnus smirked. "Well, my cat apparently thinks he's Banksy now and started systematically ruining my new living room curtains by running his claws through it until they tear. But other than that, I don't have anything as fancy to report as a sibling's wedding causing me headaches. But I have to admit, I would love to hear more about that story. That bad, huh?"

Alec let out a defeated sigh at the thought of The Bouquet Incident, as he had dubbed Isabelle's interruption for his last meeting with Magnus. He didn't even want to start thinking about all the other small and bigger mishaps that had followed.

"You have no idea. But if you really want to hear it, I hope you brought some time with you, this is going to be a _long_ story."

Magnus grabbed his own coffee mug and leaned back into his chair comfortably. With an elegant wave of his hand, he motioned for Alec to begin. "I'm all ears."

"Well, it actually all began with the reason why I had to leave so suddenly the last time –! 

"Oh, you mean when you just bailed on me and all you left was that charming little note?"

Alec huffed in amusement. "Yeah. Arguably not my best moment."

"Not just arguably."

"Hey! I'm trying to tell a story over here. Do you want to hear it or not?"

Magnus laughed softly, then reached out for his coffee and took another sip. "Sorry. I'll be nice now, I swear."

Talking to Magnus was just as easy as it had been the last time. They had a good laugh about The Bouquet Incident and all the other little hiccups and problems of organizing Isabelle's wedding. In return, Magnus told Alec a few stories about his best friend's moving troubles and how someone from work majorly pissed him off, which then led to Alec telling Magnus about his meeting earlier that day and everything that had gone wrong with that. Magnus sighed, laughed, rolled his eyes when Alec walked him through what had happened, from time to time interrupting with an anecdote or two of his own. Oddly, Alec felt himself relax more and more the longer he talked to Magnus. Which was even weirder considering Alec usually didn't open up to strangers that easily, let alone tell them about his personal life.

But he found that talking to Magnus was actually enjoyable. He was interesting and attentive, funny and sassy without ever being condescending or judgmental. He had fascinating stories to tell, yet was great listener as well.

And he seemed to know on instinct what to say to make Alec feel better.  Whether by telling him about his cat's most recent antics (Alec had a good laugh when he learned Magnus had named his cat Chairman Meow) or by recalling one of his mishaps while writing new music (Magnus had previously mentioned that he sometimes liked to write songs in his spare time) – the longer they talked, the more Alec's anger fade away.

Unfortunately, the remaining time on Alec's lunch break faded away just as quickly. When his phone pinged with a reminder that his next appointment was approaching, he felt like barely twenty minutes had passed when a glance to his watch told him they had actually been talking for almost an hour and a half. Alec's heart sank at the thought of having to leave Magnus once again. He put his phone down and looked up, only to realize that Magnus was already frowning at him, cautious.

"Bad news?" 

Alec cleared his throat. Magnus' gaze lingering on him totally didn’t make him nervous. It didn't.

"Sort of. Lunch break is over; I need to go back to work."

Magnus pouted, which totally didn't pull Alec's entire attention to his lips for a second. Not at all.

He snapped out of it just soon enough for Magnus not to notice – at least he hoped so.

"Aww, shame," Magnus said, "but I would have had to go soon anyway. Are you taking the subway back to Manhattan?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm headed that way too. Want to walk together?"

Alec smiled and nodded. Apparently he wasn't the only one who didn't want their break to be over yet.

He totally wasn't relieved about that. He wasn’t.

_Fine, maybe a little._

The walk to the subway station was short, but comfortable. They kept talking about they had planned for the rest of the day. Alec learned that Magnus was going to visit a friend in the afternoon and told him about the meeting with finance he had scheduled next. Magnus, who had put his sunglasses on again the second they had left the coffee shop, grinned at Alec's lack of motivation and Alec was sure that behind the dark glasses his eyes crinkled with glee.

They reached the subway stop way too fast for Alec's tastes. Alec sighed when he stopped a few steps away from the stairs and turned to Magnus, who was already looking up at him.  

"Well, I guess this is goodbye again, then?"

Magnus chuckled. "I suppose it is." He paused, looking at Alec with a slightly hesitant expression, almost as if he was contemplating something, weighing the pros and cons. "Except if you're interested in a rain check?"

Alec felt his lips pull into a smile. "I'd like that. 

Magnus grinned back at him. "Me too."

Alec's gaze drifted down the street, back down the sidewalk they had taken to get from Pandemonium to their current location. "So I guess I'll just see you next time I run into you at Pandemonium?", he teased.

Magnus' laugh was as soft as his voice had been over the past few hours. "I guess so. But to be totally honest with you – as much as I enjoyed our chance encounters, but…", he said, pausing for a few seconds, before glancing back up at Alec. "How about we make things a little less complicated and you give me your number?"

***

Alec didn't mind working for his mother. He didn't.

Or at least that was what he tried to remind himself of as he was stuck in his second boring meeting of the day, trying his best to not fall asleep while Aldertree from finance talked about the company's most recent revenue figures. Well, _talking_ wasn't exactly the correct term as far as Alec was concerned. _Trying to convince Maryse that Alec's children's books program line was doomed to fail_ sounded more like it.

They had been going back and forth for almost an hour now. As a consequence of _Lightwood Publishing's_ rebranding process, Alec had implemented a line of books for children under the age of ten and signed a bunch of promising authors. Just like everything else that meant a change from the company's previous ways of work, it had taken Alec some convincing until Maryse had agreed.

However, things had been changing recently. While at first she had merely tolerated the program, she seemed to have warmed up to it. A few weeks prior, she had even expanded Alec's budget for the project. He'd already had thought of a few interesting ideas on how to go forward with it, but apparently - if things were up to finance - those were never going to happen.

He was dragged out of his thoughts when Aldertree directly addressed him for once, instead of just talking to Maryse all the time.

"Look, Alec, I'm not trying to crush your plans here. I'm just trying to make clear that the children's book program hasn't been performing as well as we had thought it would. From a financial perspective, it would make sense to invest that extra budget into something else with a higher return, like the classics."

Alec snorted. It took everything in him to not roll his eyes too, instead he leveled Aldertree with an unimpressed glare. "The classics? The very thing that has been keeping the company from becoming more popular with younger people, or you know, _just people in general_ , for the past few years? Sure, makes total sense," he deadpanned.

Maryse sent him a sharp glare from her seat across from him. " _Alec."_

"I'm sure these ideas are well and good from a financial point of view" Alec continued. "However, we have to keep the creative aspect in mind as well. And judging from that, I see no reason why we should shy away from expanding our children's section. It's brought us a considerable amount of new readers, also it has made us look better in the public eye." He paused, looking at Aldertree and then his mother. "It's only been about a year. Let's give it some more time."

Aldertree opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Maryse herself. "I think we are done here for today," she said, closing the folder with the figures they had been going over for the past few hours. "Thank you, Victor, for your suggestions. I will review them with Alec and get back to you early next week. 

Once again, it took Alec everything in him to hide his reaction. Only that this time, it was a smug smile. A glare from his mother made it disappear rather quickly, though.

"What was _that_ , Alec?"

Alec sighed and turned towards his mother. "Aldertree has tried to sabotage my work ever since I got promoted. I'm done putting up with everything, just because he's the head of finance. _That_ was that."

Maryse's features softened. She got up from her seat and circled the table, sitting down in the chair next to his. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"I know you're not exactly his biggest fan" – this time, Alec did roll his eyes – "The thing is, he's doing a great job as head of finance. You're doing a great job as this company's future CEO. You don't have to like him to work with him. I'm not too fond of him either. But can you, please, make it seem a little less like you want to kill him on sight every time you see him? 

"I'm not –" Alec tried to protest, but was silenced by a knowing look and a raised eyebrow from Maryse. "Fine. I guess I can try."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Maryse got up and ruffled through his hair, which had long gone messy from Alec running his hands through it in annoyance throughout the afternoon. "Speaking of trying, how did your meeting this morning go?"

 

**

Filling his mother in on everything that had happened earlier that day took Alec about another half hour. After that, he felt drained, even though it was only 4pm and he still had work to do. Since heading home for the day wasn't an option, he did what he always did when he felt like going home but couldn't actually do so yet – he made his way to his sister's office.

Isabelle was on the phone when he entered her office. He leaned in the doorway for a second, hesitating, just in case she was talking about anything important. Isabelle waved him in as soon as she noticed him standing there, gesturing for him to have a seat at the couch she kept in her office for precisely moments like that 

With a sigh, Alec flopped down on one the couch, his back flat on the cushions and his legs dangling over the edge. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sound of Izzy's phone call while also trying not to focus too much on the headache that was building up just behind his temple.

Eventually, Izzy hung up and came over. She took in her brother's sprawled out form and chuckled. "That bad, huh?" 

"You have no idea," Alec retorted and groaned when he turned his head to look at her and moving his head made the pain worse. "I had a meeting with _Aldertree."_

Isabelle grimaced. "My condolences. That guy is a nightmare," she said, sitting down in the chair across from Alec. It had originally been just the couch in her office, but she had added the chair after Alec had made coming over to vent whenever work pissed him off a recent event.  

Alec sighed. "Tell me about it. I wonder if he's made it his own personal goal of ruining every idea I have, or if he is that much of a jerk with everyone. 

Isabelle had started skimming through one of the gossip magazines she kept in her office to indulge in sometimes, and looked up at Alec, unfazed. "Oh, he is like that with everyone. Lydia had a meeting with him last week, when she came back I thought she was about to take his head off. Something about cutting costs of our book presentations for the next quarter."

Alec pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his messages, just in case Magnus actually started to use the number Alec had left him. He smirked at Izzy's mention of Lydia's murder plans. "I relate to that sentiment on so many levels."

Chuckling, Isabelle softly slapped him with her magazine. Alec yelped. "Hey! I came here to rant about Aldertree and my general state of misery, not get physically assaulted by my own sister."

"It's not assault if it makes you stop saying stupid stuff. Besides, you're not ranting, you're staring into your phone. What's so important on there? Hot date tonight?"

Alec waited just a second too long with his answer. Long enough for Isabelle to realize just how close to home she had hit with her joking assumption.                                                                            

"Oh my gosh, you _totally_ have a hot date tonight!" She put the magazine cover away and leaned forward, curiosity radiating off her. "Tell me everything!"

Alec felt like smacking himself into the face as he dropped his phone on the coffee table.  Feeding his sister that type of information never ended well. Once something had caught her attention, she was like a bloodhound in fancy clothes and high heels. Elegant, yet deadly precise. It was what made her great at her job, but also terrible whenever it came to matters Alec would rather keep private.

He groaned at his own stupidity, then rolled his eyes in a desperate attempt of making Isabelle believe she had assumed the wrong thing. "There's nothing to tell."

"You really need to work on your lying skills, Alec. I don't believe you for a second," Isabelle said with a laugh that only grew louder when Alec felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment. "So, who is he?"

"I told you Isabelle, there is no one. And even if there was, I wouldn't tell you. You're too nosy for your own good sometimes."

Isabelle tossed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "It's not my fault I'm fabulous. But you're still a terrible liar."

"I'm not –" Alec started, about to start ranting about how he still deserved to have a private life, even if Isabelle and him were very close. But he didn't get to actually do so, as his phone had apparently picked just that moment for the ultimate betrayal. Out of nowhere, it started vibrating with a new message, the glass coffee table enhancing the sound.  It was only thanks to Alec's long arms and quick reflexes that he could save it from his sister's nosiness. 

"Hands off!"

Isabelle giggled. "Wow, that has to mean it's something serious."

"It's not serious, we've barely – ", Alec mumbled, shutting his screen off, before he'd even realized what he'd said. When he looked at Isabelle again, he let out a defeated sigh. Her shit-eating grin spoke volumes.

"You know what, I'm gonna go. I've had enough people annoying me for one day."

"Whatever you say, big brother," Isabelle called after him when he walked out the door. "But don't forget to tell me what your beau texted you."

"You know I won't," Alec retaliated, waving over his shoulder as he walked out of her office. 

He didn't get to check the message until later that night, when he was back in the quiet safety of his own apartment with no annoying clients, colleagues or meddling younger sisters in sight.

When he finally did pull out his phone again and opened his unread messages, he was glad he hadn't. The message's content made him let out an embarrassingly loud laugh he really, really wouldn't have wanted anyone to hear. 

_Alec! I really enjoyed our talk this afternoon, but I'm not sure if I typed in your number right. Just text me back to let me know, will you? Also, if I did get the number wrong and this is the phone of a nice old lady or some other handsome single guy, I sincerely apologize. Well, in the old lady case.  
\- M.  _

Still smirking, Alec dropped onto his couch and started typing a reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...we fixed the phone number issue, you guys got to know the lovely Isabelle Lightwood and I threw in a whole lot of backstory. What did you think about it? Let me know, I'm curious! 
> 
> If you guys feel like chatting about the fic or any other Malec-related topic, I'm on [tumblr (katwriting)](https://katwriting.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter (@kat_writing)](https://twitter.com/kat_writing/). I will also be tracking #SOYHfic from now on , if any of you feel like tweeting about this fic :)
> 
> See you for the next chapter! I don't want to spoiler too much, but I guess we can all agree that it's time we sent those two on a date...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec suffers and Magnus has a ball about it.  
> Oh, and there's a first date too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Remember me? I wouldn't blame you if you don't, it's been a while. But, at long last, SOYH is back with a new chapter. But before we dive into their long-awaited reunion and other shenanigans, I just wanted to say thank you for the immense positive response so far. I haven't updated this fic in about three months, yet I still get emails everyday telling me that people left me kudos or even commented on my story. This means a lot to me and I can't thank you guys enough for it.
> 
> Another person who deserves a thank you is my dear friend Rita who offered to beta-read and edit this story. I hope I won't make you regret that decision! 
> 
> Now, without further ado - have fun with chapter 3. And don't forget to let me know what you think! <3

Magnus was woken by the persistent beeping of his alarm, and the sound of raindrops splattering against his window. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back and threw an arm across his eyes. It was far too early for the world to require him being a functioning member of society.  

He was just about to drift off to sleep, when there was the familiar sound of rustling blankets. Magnus felt the mattress dip and a warm body settle next to his own – followed by the sharp sting of claws digging into his stomach.

Magnus' eyes shot open as he yelped in pain. "Chairman! I told you to stop doing that!"

He grabbed Chairman and carefully set him down next to him on the duvet, trying to send him his strictest glare. When Chairman just huffed and curled up next to him, Magnus shrugged and snuggled into his cat's silky gray fur. He would be a strict cat dad some other time.  

Instead of scolding his cat, Magnus dared to throw another glance out the bedroom window. The clouds were a depressing gray and didn't seem like clearing up anytime soon.

Magnus ran his fingers through Chairman's fur. "You don't feel like getting out of the house, do you?"

The cat's purrs only grew louder.

Magnus sighed again and pulled the Chairman closer to his chest. "Me neither, dear."

They stayed like that for a little while, Magnus burrowed in his pillows and duvet, the Chairman snuggled up against his chest. Awful weather aside, Magnus felt at peace. It had been a few weeks since the end of his tour and aside from writing songs and meeting with his team here and there, life had been surprisingly quiet. Magnus had adored being on tour – playing at a different city every night, soaking up the excitement from the audience, listening to them his songs – but he never felt as much at peace as in his own Brooklyn apartment on a rainy day. He didn't like rain, actually he resented it, but there was just something about enjoying a day in while the rest of New York had to face the floods that put Magnus at ease.

He was just about to doze off again when the comfortable silence in his bedroom was interrupted by his phone beeping. Grumbling something unrecognizable, he reached over and grabbed it, hissing when the bright screen hurt his eyes. It was just far too early for people to expect him to be a functioning member of society yet.

However, when he checked the name and message that had come in, his mood brightened and he quickly opened the message.

_Got almost run over by a bike this morning and by the time I was at work my clothes were drenched. I hate rainy days._

Magnus chuckled, starting to type out a reply. He was pretty sure it would earn him a very snarky reply, but it was worth the trouble.

About ten days had passed since Magnus had run into Alec at the coffee shop again and they had exchanged numbers. For his initial text to Alec, Magnus had gone all out – and regretted it the second he had hit sent. But thankfully Alec's humor wasn't limited to conversations happening in person and he had replied with just the same amount of wit, and the same sarcasm that had intrigued Magnus about him in the first place. They had been texting back and forth since then, and talking to Alec had become an unexpected, but not at all unpleasant, new part of Magnus' daily life.

They didn't talk every day, but sent each other messages here and there. In doing so, Magnus had learned a lot about Alec. Not just that his sister's wedding drove him crazy or that he was dangerously close to killing Aldertree from finance on sight the next time he saw him. But also what kind of music he was currently listening to or that he'd had an aversion to peanut butter for as long as he could remember. Magnus now knew that Alec didn't quite get the hype around Marvel movies or superheroes in general. He'd practiced archery as a kid, had even won a few competitions. But thanks to his job and just life in general getting the best of him, he had not been to an archery range in quite some time. 

And most importantly,  he absolutely, entirely, with every fibre of his being _despised_ rainy days. 

 

_It's like the universe is planning for me to have a shitty day and wants me to KNOW it does._

 

Magnus could almost _hear_ Alec grumble the words while he was probably sitting in his office, clad in a semi-dry suit and loaded with misery.

 

_Don't be dramatic. It's not that bad._

_No. It's worse._

 

Magnus chuckled, then dropped his phone onto the mattress to look at his cat, who had left his position curled up next to Magnus to pad over to the other side of the bed where he could look out of the window. Chairman didn't look like he approved of the rain either – he almost looked like he was frowning.

Still grinning, Magnus grabbed his phone, snapped a picture and sent it to Alec.

 

_I think you have an ally in your aversion against rainy days, Alexander._

Alec's reply took mere seconds.

_FINALLY someone who understands me. Also, nobody calls me Alexander._                                                                                                                                    

_You better get used to it, then._

With a soft laugh, he put his phone onto his nightstand, then stretched one more time before pushing the covers off his body and getting out of bed.

 

+++

 

"All I'm saying is that this could be a really nice opportunity for you to get back into the game after your break."

"And all _I'm_ saying is that I'll think about it. That's all I can promise at the moment."

Sighing, Magnus grabbed his coffee and took a sip. He peered over the rim of his mug at Ragnor, who was sitting on a chair next to him and going through a folder that seemed to be about to burst.

"You know you could just use a computer, right? It would make the whole _searching for that thing you scribbled onto a post it note you borrowed from an assistant and left somewhere in a conference room three floors upstairs a week ago_ thing a little easier," Magnus quipped, his lips already pulling into a smile. Ragnor was very much responsible for Magnus' success, but he was also a dear friend and just so easy to tease.

But before Ragnor could come up with an undoubtedly sarcastic reply, the glass door to his office opened and Catarina walked in, carrying a large cardboard box.

Taking in Magnus' smirk and her husband's exasperated features, she frowned. "What did I miss?"

"We're sending Magnus back to that lousy coffee shop he used to work at if he keeps getting on my nerves any longer," Ragnor grumbled, barely looking up from his notes.

Anybody else would have been intimidated by his behavior, but Magnus wasn't fooled. He had long accepted that Ragnor was just a natural grump and comments like that weren't to be taken seriously. Except if he was _really_ pissed, but since Magnus' career had taken off, the number of times that Ragnor was genuinely angry at Magnus had declined significantly. Mostly because Magnus had actually started to listen to him. From time to time. When the mood struck.

Luckily Magnus knew that Ragnor would never take his antics personally. He had been an important mentor for Magnus since day one (and would not miss a single chance to tease him about that), but they both knew that underneath all their bickering lay a deep mutual respect and understanding for each other. It was part of what had made their both their working relationship and their friendship so strong since the beginning. The same applied to Catarina, even though Magnus and Ragnor's tendency to roast each other had tested her nerves in the past more often than not.

Almost as if she had heard Magnus' thoughts, Catarina took another stern look at them and let out a sigh. She took a seat next to Magnus on the couch and reached for his hand, her thumb mindlessly grazing over his skin as she took in Ragnor's discontent and Magnus' cheeky smirk.

"Magnus", she said, her voice infinitely kind and just a tiny bit scolding, "what did you do now?"

Magnus huffed out a laugh. "I didn't do anything. I just told your dear husband that I'm not really in the mood for a TV show appearance right now."

"More like that you're not in the mood for _any_ TV shows anytime soon."

"It's not like I'm _supposed_ to do any TV shows anytime soon," Magnus shot back. "A three months break from the public eye. That's what we agreed on."

Ragnor just opened his mouth to reply when Catarina cut in. "It is. And you're getting that time off, don't worry. But three months away from the public eye doesn't mean three months off work." She nodded towards the cardboard box she had brought with her. "Your new autograph photos came in and there's a lot of new fan mail too. Time to get to work, love."

Magnus flashed a smile at Ragnor. "I'm so sorry, dear friend, I believe we'll have to postpone this conversation. Not that I mind."

He then turned back towards Catarina. "Do you need me to start signing now?"

She shook her head. "Just make sure they are ready by the end of the week."

Magnus nodded. "Consider it done."

Signing some of the new autograph cards took a few hours that Magnus spent tucked away in a quiet meeting room in the _Downworld Records_ headquarters. He managed to get a few hundred done and would have been faster if his friends weren't so terribly chatty. Catarina stopped by with coffee sometime in the afternoon, Elias from the reception desk paid him a visit and even Ragnor came to say hi at some point. Even Alec kept Magnus company, only through texts, but still.

Magnus kept signing until well into the afternoon, when his eyes were sore and his **writs** hurt. When he'd reached the point where he couldn't stand to look at his own face anymore, he decided to call it a day. He put the signed autograph cards back into the cardboard box, took the fan letters with him and made his way to the ground floor.

 

+++

Back at his apartment, Magnus fixed himself a glass of wine before sitting down on his living room carpet and taking out the letters Catarina had given to him. Reading fanmail was something he had always preferred to do in the privacy of his apartment. There was just something about these letters people sent him, something so personal that Magnus felt like taking his time was the only way to treat them right. He didn't read everything, of course. There was just too much coming in. But he tried. Lots of them were about how people felt inspired by Magnus, how he had inspired them to go after their dreams. Those always hit close to home, especially since it hadn't been so long ago that Magnus had been a struggling singer with a big dream himself. The least he could do, he felt, was give those people's words at least a fraction of the time and attention they had put into writing them.

A little while into reading the letters, Chairman joined Magnus in the living room and with his cat resting in his lap and his fans' moving stories to go through, the rest of the afternoon flew by. Magnus didn't even notice how much time had passed until, once again, the persistent ringtone of his phone drew him out of a particularly inspiring letter.

Without looking, he picked up, too busy with swallowing past the lump in his throat that the fans' story had left behind to check the caller ID. "Hello?", he said, voice slightly pressed. Emotional letters always got him.

"I swear to everything that is holy, I will kill Aldertree and not even _try_ to make it look like an accident."

Magnus chuckled. "Hello to you too, Alexander."

"Oh, sorry. Yeah. Hi." Magnus heard some traffic noise in the background, and Alec cursing under his breath. "Anyway, I'm going to kill him."

Putting the letter aside, Magnus shooed the Chairman of his lap so he could sit up a little. "And why is that?"

"As if I would need a specific reason at this point," Alec scoffed before there was loud honking in the background and Magnus could hear him curse again, louder this time. "Great, now I stepped into a puddle too. I just got this suit dry cleaned, dammit! " 

"Today is really not your day, huh?" Magnus said sympathetically, then took another sip of his wine.

Alec let out a sigh. "Yeah. You could say that."

"So. Aldertree?"

"I don't even know why I get angry about him at this point anymore. He's been sabotaging my work ever since I got promoted. I just try to ignore him most of the time, but he manages to get on my nerves every damn time. I just can't stand him, yet I can't do anything about it since I'm not running the company yet and he _knows_ it. It's just so… _frustrating_."

A wave of sympathy rolled through Magnus. Before his career had taken off, and even now that he was where he always wanted to be, he'd had to deal with plenty of people who fit to that description. At least until he had learned which people were here to stay and which ones were only around as long as his fame was.

"Look, Alexander-"

Alec didn't let him finish. Or even properly start, for that matter. "You know what's fun?"

"I assume you're going to tell me in a second."

"Ha. Well, yeah.  Uh…what's fun is that I didn't even call you because of Aldertree, yet ended up ranting to you about him anyways." 

Magnus huffed out a laugh. "I don't blame you. Awful people do tend to have that effect on us. Besides, I enjoy talking to you."

"Yeah, me too. The talking, I mean. I uh…I like that, too. That was kind of the point why I called in the first place."

"To talk to me?"

"No. Well, yeah, but also because I wanted to ask something."

Magnus chuckled. "I'm all ears."

"Look…I really enjoyed texting with you these past two weeks or so and I was kind of wondering if we uh…could hang out for real at some point?" 

" _Hang out?_ May I remind you, Alexander, that I don't just _hang out_ with people." He swirled the wine in his glass. "But if this is your adorably dorky way of asking me out, please, go ahead."

Alec let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Yeah. That's kind of it. So, will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Stop being a tease, mostly. Also, go out on date with me?"

Magnus smiled and nodded, then remembered that Alec wouldn't exactly be able to hear that reaction. "I'd love to."

"Yeah?" Alec sounded genuinely surprised, like he hadn't expected Magnus' answer. "I mean, great! How does this Friday sound?"

Magnus smiled. "Friday sounds great. See you then?"

The relief in Alec's tone was impossible to miss. Magnus felt his heartbeat quicken at the realization. "Yeah. I'll see you then."

"Great! And Alexander?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor and try not to kill Aldertree until then. I'm all for handcuffs, but I'd hate for our first date to be in prison."

Alec's gleeful laugh rung in Magnus' ears long after they had ended their call.

 

+++

 

"Magnus, hey!"

Looking up from his phone, Magnus turned around just to see Alec rushing towards him. "I'm sorry I'm late," Alec huffed, slightly out of breath and cheeks a little flushed. "I got held up at work by _you know who_ and then came here as fast as I could."

Magnus smiled reassuringly, noting with a pleased feeling that Alec's gaze was raking up and down his attire. So the necklaces and open buttons had been a good idea after all.

"No problem, I just got here myself," he said, turning around towards the building that had definitely seen better days, but otherwise didn't give anything away about what awaited them behind the door. "So, Alexander. What exactly are we doing here?"

Alec grinned. "Let me guess – you googled the place, came up with nothing and it's been bugging you all week. Am I right?"

Magnus pursed his lips and raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "I may or may not have been a little curious. Now, are you just going to keep making fun of me or are you actually going to tell me what we're doing tonight?"

Alec chuckled. "Impatient as always, I see." The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh when Magnus just raised his eyebrows at him.

"Fine, let's stop keeping you in the dark. I actually didn't know this place existed until my sister told me about it about a week ago, and it's a bit of a long story, so why don't you just see for yourself?"

To Magnus' (not at all unpleasant) surprise, Alec underlined those words by gently putting a hand on Magnus' back and nudging him towards the entrance. And if Alec's hand rested there for just a little longer than strictly necessary, Magnus wasn't one to complain.

Magnus had gotten to know Alec a little better through their continuous texting over the past couple of days, and it didn't take even half an hour into their date for him to learn another three new things about him: He had a mediocre taste in style, a great taste in music and an excellent taste when it came to picking locations for a first date.

The initially dull looking building had turned out to be a cozy little art gallery that focused on all kinds of weird exhibits. Currently, they were showing an exhibit about the absolute worst the 80s and 90s had to offer in terms of music – also known as Magnus' secret guilty pleasure kind of era.

"I have to admit, Alexander, you do know how to pick an unexpected first date location," Magnus mused as he slowly walked through the exhibits' _Pop and Rock of the 90s section_ after strolling through other sections for a while _._

Alec, who had been doing a very poor job at hiding the fact that he'd been a little nervous about what Magnus might say about his first date idea, visibly relaxed. "You like it, then?"

Magnus beamed. "An exhibit about all the awful 90s music you will never hear me admit out loud I still love? I _love_ this. 

"Good, that makes one of us. Because I'm starting to wonder what on earth you find so fascinating about the 80s."

They had made it into a part of the exhibit where visitors got to witness some of the best of the 80s and 90s on their own. All they had to do was put on a pair of headphones and choose a song on one of the tablets that were mounted to the wall.

Magnus, who had already been busy picking up a pair of headphones, halted. He raised an eyebrow  at Alec. "I'll have you know that the 80s included musical legends such as Queen, Bon Jovi or Whitney Houston, Alexander."

"Yeah, I know that," Alec deadpanned, his tone being nowhere near serious. "I'm talking about the _Cyndi Lauper_ and _Wham!_ songs in here." He sounded like mentioning those artists alone personally offended him.

Magnus shrugged. "Collateral damage. There are so many better pieces to pick from. May I?", he asked, holding up the pair of headphones to Alec.

When Alec nodded, he slipped them over his ears and grabbed another pair for himself. Once they were both all set, Magnus turned towards the vast music selection and picked a song for the both of them.

As soon as the song started playing, Magnus couldn't help himself. He closed his eyes just as his body almost automatically started moving in tune with the music. Magnus had always had a hard time just sitting still when listening to a good song, especially when it was one of his personal favorites.

He kept going until a gentle tap on his shoulder dragged him out of the last bit of the song, just as the singer's voice started to fade off. When he opened his eyes, he realized that Alec had been watching him, leaning against the wall, headphones long forgotten and a gentle smirk on his lips.

" _Don't You Forget About Me?_ Really, Magnus?"

Magnus shrugged. "That is 80s music as well, Alec. Not so bad after all, is it?"

Alec chuckled. "You sure know how to sell it."

Alec reached out and pulled the headphones off Magnus' head, setting them back onto the hook where they'd taken them from. "So what other not-so guilty musical pleasures are you hiding?"

Magnus laughed. "My dear Alexander, _that_ is a story for a second date."

It took them another while to finish their stroll through the gallery. Most of it was due to Magnus, who could talk about music for hours and sure made use of that trait during their date. But Alec didn't seem to mind, he patiently listened to Magnus' stories and threw in an anecdote of his own here and there, proving that it hadn't been just talk when he'd said he had a bit of an interest in music as well.

After they had made it to the end, Alec went to retrieve their coats and met Magnus in the entrance hall. "So? Did you like the exhibit? 

Magnus beamed at him as he reached for his jacket, his fingers brushing against Alec's as he took it. "I told you already, I loved this. Your lack of appreciation for guilty pleasure music isn't going to change that."

Alec smiled back at him, and this time it reached his eyes, too. He looked…hopeful, Magnus thought. "Great. I was actually kind of nervous since you know, first date usually means drinks or a movie or whatever. But I figured since you mentioned you're into 80s and 90s music, this might be up your alley."

"Definitely. Thanks for bringing me here. However, now that you mention it," Magnus said, glancing at his watch, "drinks don't sound so bad right now."

Alec grinned. "I was hoping you would say that. Come on, I know a place."

Alec led them to a bar not far from the gallery. Thanks to it being a Friday night, _The Hunter's Moon_ was packed, but they managed to secure themselves a small table tucked away in the corner. The place wasn't big, yet buzzing with energy and excitement, the latter being due to the stage about 30 feet away from Alec and Magnus' table. For now, it was empty, but a microphone and guitar seemed just to be waiting for someone to start playing.

When Magnus asked Alec about the empty stage, Alec just smirked and muttered something about patience. "But you'll like it, promise."

He ended up being right. Alec had just taken off towards the bar to get their first round of drinks when a young woman walked on stage, waved to the audience and started tuning the guitar. There was a moment of excited silence before she started playing a rendition of James Bay's "Hold Back The River", singing along in a soft voice that slowly grew more powerful as the song went on. Magnus was fascinated immediately, so much that he almost didn't notice Alec had gotten back from the bar, drinks in hand.

Alec chuckled as he pushed Magnus' drink into his direction, their fingers brushing together briefly. "I assume you like this place?"

The woman had reached the first chorus and while her voice had been soft and melodic, she switched gears to a much more powerful tone as the song went on. 

"Are you kidding? I could listen to her all day", Magnus said and laughed. "I haven't been to an open mic night in forever, but I'm just realizing what I've been missing out on."

Alec nodded and smiled. "This is one of my favorite places. It's a bit of a commute from my apartment, but the music makes it all worth it. I admire these people, actually. It takes courage to just walk up onto that stage and sing your heart out, not knowing if people are going to like it or not."

"That it does", Magnus mused, before realizing the words had actually slipped out. "I mean, I can imagine that it does. These people must put their heart and soul into these performances," he added quickly, just as the woman on stage put all her energy into the final few lines of the song.

Surveying Alec's expression carefully, Magnus kept an eye out for any signs that he had managed to blow his own cover. When Alec didn't show any signs of suspicion, Magnus breathed out and turned back towards the stage and grabbed his drink. Relieved, he raised his glass towards Alec. "Anyway. To us. Thanks for bringing me here, Alec."

Alec's gaze was warm when he looked at Magnus. "It's my absolute pleasure."

Magnus' martini clinked against Alec's beer bottle, and the sound made Magnus oddly hopeful. Things had been going well so far. Alec had been attentive and funny all night and there hadn't been a single moment of awkward silence. Even better – Magnus was having a genuinely good time.  He didn't quite trust the warm, comfortable feeling in his stomach just yet, but it seemed like they were ringing in a rather special kind of night.

And judging from Alec's soft smile and the warm expression in his eyes whenever he caught Magnus looking at him, Magnus wasn't the only one feeling that way.

 

+++

 

"…and that's why I am pretty sure that next time I go to Peru, the people at airport security won't be as tolerant as they were last time."

Magnus finished his little story with a smirk and a flourish and his free hand. The other one had been tucked into Alec's for the past couple of minutes. Alec had grabbed it to pull Magnus aside and out of the way of an approaching group of pedestrians. He hadn't made any attempts at letting go since, and Magnus was going to be damned if he was going to make him do so. 

Magnus almost found it odd how well Alec and him got along even though it was only their first date. But then again, he couldn't bring himself to care.  Their evening had gone way too well for that. Throughout the night, Magnus had realized that all the funny texts and spontaneous phone calls in the world didn't even come close to spending time with Alec in person. Magnus had had a good feeling with Alec since they had first run into each other at the coffee shop, but the longer the evening went on, the more Magnus realized that his gut feeling about Alec had been right.

Talking to Alec, laughing with him, was easy, effortless. Alec's gaze was warm, his laugh contagious. He was still a lot more on the quiet side than Magnus, but the longer their date had gone on the more Alec had opened up. He'd stood a little closer, let his gaze rest on Magnus a little longer, nudged him here and there to underline his point while telling a story, or gently brushed his fingers against Magnus' as he reached for his drink. They had been small gestures, easy to miss, but Magnus had noticed anyway.

His own skeptical mind had blamed it on the cozy bar and the music in the background at first, but even now as they were strolling through the streets, Magnus felt as comfortable with Alec as he had been the entire night. That feeling had only grown stronger when Magnus' weird story from Peru, sometimes a bit of a dealbreaker on any first date, had made Alec only laugh with no signs of him being weirded out.

"You got yourself banned from an entire country. Why am I not surprised."

"What can I say, Alexander – I am a man of many talents."

He took another few steps on the sidewalk, then almost tripped over his own feet while trying to dodge a lamppost. It was only thanks to Alec's quick thinking and even quicker reflexes that Magnus didn't end up falling flat on his butt in the middle of the street. 

Alec chuckled. "I suppose almost breaking your nose because you walked into a lamppost is one of those?"

"Fine, it wasn't one of my best moments."

"It's okay. It was actually pretty adorable."

"Adorable, huh?"

"Yeah," Alec mumbled, his hand brushing against Magnus' once again.

This time, Magnus didn’t think twice. In one swift move, he closed his own hand around Alec's, holding it in a light grasp, just tight enough to feel connected but still light enough for Alec to pull away if he so desired.

There was a pause, a beat of silence. Magnus breathed in, was about to pull his hand back, when the grip of Alec's hand suddenly tightened and he interlaced their fingers.

Magnus breathed out, his shoulders relaxing. He looked over to Alec, and caught him looking right back.

As their eyes caught, Alec's gaze drifted to their interlaced fingers and Magnus saw a smirk pulling at his lips. Alec bit his lip, then looked back up at Magnus. "Okay?"

Magnus let out a soft laugh, just barely audible, barely more than a breath. He returned Alec's smirk, his gaze reassuring. "Absolutely."

They kept walking for another while, for longer than it would have been strictly necessary to get to the next subway stop. Some of the time they spent talking, but most of it in comfortable silence. Magnus didn't mind either – he was more than okay with their little detours, as they meant he didn't have to say goodbye to Alec just yet.

Eventually though, they made it to the subway stop and came to a halt, turning towards **each** other. Magnus felt an odd sense of déjà-vu, similar to the last time they had seen each other and had been forced to say goodbye too early.

Judging from Alec's smirk, he'd had the same thought. "I guess this is where we part ways, again?"

Magnus chuckled. "I guess so."

Alec reached out for his other hand, his fingers softly grazing over Magnus' skin. "I had a really good time tonight."

Magnus squeezed Alec's hand gently. "So did I. Care for a second date sometime soon?"

Alec's gaze was as warm as the smiles he'd sent Magnus throughout the evening. "I'd love that."

Magnus beamed at Alec. He had just a couple of minutes left until he needed to catch his train, but he just couldn't bring himself to head off just now. The night had been too special. Instead, he stepped closer to Alec, closing almost all of the distance between them.

"Alright, Alexander," he muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll see you soon then."

He took another half step closer and felt Alec's breath brush against his face. Pausing one more second, he waited if Alec would pull away. But just like earlier, when he had reached out for his hand, Alec didn't. So Magnus took one more half step to close the distance between them and dropped a kiss on the corner of Alec's mouth – just shy of his lips.

Squeezing his hands one more time, Magnus slowly backed away. He was just about to turn towards the subway station and head home when Alec's voice made him turn around once again.

"Magnus?"

"Yeah?"

"You call that a goodbye kiss?"

A sly smirk pulled on Magnus' lips, matching the one on Alec's face. "My, my Alexander. How brazen you are," Magnus mumbled. He stepped closer to Alec again and rested one hand on Alec's waist, the other on his face before leaning in again – for a proper kiss this time.

 

Screw the subway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo..comments, notes, opinions? Leave them in the comments section or come talk to me on [Twitter (@kat_writing)](https://twitter.com/kat_writing/)! I also track #SOYHfic, in case tweeting is more your thing. See you hopefully for the next chapter, where we'll be heading into slightly more dramatic waters :)

**Author's Note:**

> Soo...what did you think? Feel free to leave me some feedback in the comments, I'd appreciate it a lot! I'm not sure how many chapters this fic will end up having yet, but I'm aiming for around 4. Right now I'm about halfway done with chapter two, in which these two dorks will meet again and we'll meet another character who is going to play an important part in this story. See you then :)
> 
> If you feel like chatting about the fic or any other Malec-related topic, I'm also on [tumblr (katwriting)](https://katwriting.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter (@kat_writing)](https://twitter.com/kat_writing/). Come say hi :)


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